Ava reached down for my hand and nodded. “I’d like that.”
I drove us to the beach and parked in a small gravel lot just a few yards from the water. A soft chill rose up from the ocean as it rolled up in waves that crashed on the rocky shore. We held hands as we walked, staying quiet as we went. We didn’t need to say anything. It was a comfortable, gentle silence that came from knowing each other so well, even as we were getting to know each other again.
We had been strolling along for almost an hour when I noticed Ava press her hand to the middle of her chest and draw in a breath. Her hand slid down to her stomach, and she grimaced slightly.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“I’m not feeling well all of a sudden,” she said. “My stomach is turning.”
“Oh, no. Do you think it could be food poisoning?”
She groaned. “It probably is. That damn sushi.” She took a sharp breath and covered her mouth for a second, closed her eyes, then opened them slowly. “I’m going to kill your brother.”
I wanted to tease her for being the one that thought it was a good idea to eat raw fish that Jesse put in front of her, but she looked so miserable I couldn’t bring myself to do it. She looked out over the ocean and quickly turned away.
I put my arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Let’s get you home. Hopefully this won’t last too long.”
She kept the window down as I drove to her house. She sucked in breaths of the air whipping around her and seemed to fight new waves of nausea that hit her as we went. I debated between going faster to get her home as fast as possible and going slower to control the motion of the car.
She managed to keep herself from getting sick before we got her home, and I brought her right inside. She stripped down and crawled into bed. I brought her a glass of water and put it on the table beside her. Adjusting the blanket over her, I stroked her hair and leaned down to kiss her temple.
“I’m going to stay the night to make sure you’re okay. I’ll be right out in the living room on the couch. If you need me for anything, just call,” I said.
She managed a nod. “Thank you.”
Grabbing the extra pillows and blanket from the linen closet in the hallway, I went into the living room and made a bed on the couch. I lay there watching TV for a couple of hours, wanting to make sure Ava didn’t need me right then. When she hadn’t called, I turned off the TV but left the light in the hallway on to make sure I could see if I needed to get to the bedroom fast.
At some point, I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, I was being woken up by the sound of Ava jumping out of bed and running into the bathroom. I went into the kitchen to pour her a fresh glass of water and went up to the door. I knocked on it softly.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said.
I heard heaving and Ava struggling to catch her breath.
“Are you sure?”
“No,” she finally said weakly.
“I’ve had food poisoning before. It’s no fun,” I said. “Fortunately, it usually only lasts a day or two. You just need to rest and drink plenty of fluids. That means you have to take the day off.”
“But I took last night off,” she said.
I heard the toilet flush and the water in the sink runs for a few seconds. The door opened and she looked at me with bloodshot eyes and a pale face.
“Yes, and you’re taking tonight off, too,” I said.
She looked like she was about to argue, then nodded. “Okay.”
I found her some fresh pajamas while she took a shower, then tucked her back into bed. I made sure the remote was close to her along with a bucket lined with a plastic bag, several towels, tissues, and plenty of bottled water.
“I have to go to work,” I said. “But I’m going to come back after. I’ll bring you some Gatorade and saltine crackers. They might help.”
“I don’t want to eat anything right now,” she groaned.
“You don’t have to. For now, just rest. If you need anything, call me at the bar,” I said.
She nodded and tucked her head under the pillow, only to move it a second later and lean toward me for a kiss on her head. I gave it to her, and she disappeared beneath the pillow again.
I had to get to work particularly early to catch up on the work Ava missed the night before and that she would miss that night as well. Since I had taken on most of the manager duties before she got the role, I knew what to do. But I wanted to make sure it was done, and I would be able to stay behind the bar or helping customers throughout the night.